How To Add An Application To The Quick Launch Menu In Windows?

Are you frequently accessing a particular app on your Windows computer? Wish to access it through the quick launch menu? Although the quick launch bar has been removed in Windows 7, you can add it back to your Windows taskbar. In this post, I am going to explain to you the steps to add an application to the quick launch menu in windows.

The concept here is simple. We are going to add the programs to the Quick Launch bar using an option on the Windows “Send To menu“. In other words, we are going to create a shortcut and send it to the Quick Launch Menu for quick access to the app.

This method will work on all the versions of Windows including Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10, and also in Windows XP. For this tutorial purpose, I am using Windows 10 PC. Let us discuss the steps in detail.

Steps To Add An Application To The Quick Launch Menu:

Step 1: The first step is to add the Quick Launch option to the Send To Menu. Press Win + R on your keyboard to open the Run Box and type the command given below in the Open text field, and click OK.

shell:sendto

Step 2: Now the Send To folder will open up in the Windows File Explorer as shown below.

Step 3: Inside the folder, right-click on the empty space and select New -> Shortcut from the context menu to create a new shortcut.

Step 4: This will now open up the Create New Shortcut Wizard. In the Location text box, enter the location given below and click Next.

%APPDATA%\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Quick Launch

Step 5: Next, you have to specify a name for the shortcut. For this tutorial purpose, I am going to specify the name as QuickLaunch. Once you selected the name, click Finish.

Note: This name can be anything as per your wish, but remember that this name will be displayed in the Send To menu.

Step 6: Now the shortcut QuickLaunch is created inside the Send To folder.

Step 7: To add an application to the QuickLaunch, you need to create a shortcut of that application’s executable file inside this QuickLaunch folder.

Step 8: Generally all the executable files (.exe files) will be in the C:\Program Files (OS installation path). Locate the .exe file that you wish to add to the Quick Launch menu.

Step 9: Right-click on the file and select Send To -> Desktop to create a shortcut of that application on your desktop.

Step 10: Now again right-click on the Shortcut and select Send To -> Quick Launch from the context menu.

That’s it. You have now successfully added your favorite application to the Quick Launch Menu in Windows. To access the app, click on the double arrow in your Windows taskbar and the list of apps will be displayed.

If you encounter any issues while following this tutorial, do let me know using the comments section below.